Skylight-lifter.



W. RIOROURKE.

SKYLIGHT LIFTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. z3, 19,08.

Patented sept. 1.2i 19111.

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piviTEn sTETEs raTENT oEEioE.

WILLIAM F. OROURKE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO PAYSON MANUFACTURING COIKPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SKYLIGHT-LIFTER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM ll". ORQURKE, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Skylight-Lifters, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and eXact description. y

My invention relates to skylight lifters of the general class in which the raising and lowering rods and clamps are operated by cords hanging down to be within reach of the user.

My invention consists of a rod, the upper end of which is attached to the frame of the skylight, a clamp through which the rod passes, a bracket to which. the clamp is pivoted, a clamp releaser provided with a pulley wheel and hinged to the frame of the clamp, a pulley wheel carried on the bracket, and a cord attached to the rod and passing over the said pulleys and so arranged that the releaser may be broughtagainst the clamp to unlock the rod, and while thus unlocked the user may simply by means of the cord raise the skylight or permit the same to close as may be desired.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which-Figure 1 is a general view of a skylight controller in position showing the skylight in its lowered position or closed position; Fig. 2 is a detailed elevation of the skylight controller in the same position; F ig. 3 is a plan view thereof, the rod and cord being removed; and Fig. 4 is a front elevation showing the clamp unlocked; Fig. 5 is a sectional view upon line of Fig. 4.

Like parts are designated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

The skylight 1 is hinged at 2 and is adapted to be raised at the opposite side 8. It will be seen that the rod 4 is hinged to the bracket 5 which is secured to the under surface of the frame of the skylight. This rod 4 passes through the clamp which consists of the dogs or clutching jaws 6, 7, which are pivoted at their inner ends tothe frame 8 and are normally spread apart so as to bite the rod by means of the spring 9. It will be understood that when the free ends of the clamping pieces 6, 7 are pressed together in parallel relation against the tension of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led March 23, 1908.

Patented Sept.. 12, 1911. serial no. 422,642.

spring 9, the rod 4 may pass freely through the alined openings in the jaws of the clamp, but when the clamping pieces are left in their normal position to be acted upon by the spring' 9, they will retain their hold upon the rod and lock the rod at any position to which it may have been adjusted. It will be observed' that the frame 8 of the clamp is pivoted or hinged to the lug 10 of the main bracket 11. This bracket- 11, as shown in Fig. 1 and F ig. 2, is secured to the wall or side of the opening below the skylight. This bracket 11 is provided with the lug 12 which serves to support the pulley wheel 13 and serves at the same time to prevent the cord from being thrown olf of this pulley wheel. The hinged yoke 14 is likewise provided with a pulley wheel or sheave 15. This pivoted swinging yoke 14 is designed to act upon the free ends of the clamp pieces or dogs 6, 7 to press the same together, thereby unlocking the rod. This acti-on takes place when this swinging yoke or releaser 14 is brought to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5; that is to say, beveled surfaces provided on this swinging yoke take the projecting ends of the clamp pieces 6, 7 and thus force the same toward each other, thus bringing the openings in the said pieces 6, 7 into alinement with the rod 4 so that the rod is unlocked; that is to say, permitted to move freely through the clamp. The oord 16 is attached as shown, to the lower end of the rod 4 and passes thence up over the grooved wheel 13 and thence down over the grooved wheel 15, which wheels are simply sheaves designed to reduce the friction upon the cord 16.

It will be seen that by means of a cord manipulated from below, the swinging yoke may be made to engage with the clamp to release the same, and that while the cord is held in the direction required to thus hold the clamp unlocked, the transom if raised will of its own weight be lowered, the rod sliding through the clamp. In order to raise the skylight it is simply necessary while the oord is held in a direction to bring the releasing yoke 14 in engagement with the clamp, to pull upon the cord with sutlieient force to raise the rod and hence the skylight to the desired height, whereupon by simply releasing the cord the clamp will immediately take hold of the rod and lock the same and consequently the skylight lois in position. When the swinging section 1 of the skylight is raised, the bracket 5 will be carried with it, and since the frame S of the clamp is pivoted as stated to the lug 10, the clamping device will be kept in line with the rod 4; that is' to say, the rod will be free to be forced upward through the perforations in the clamping part 6, 7. On releasing the cord 16, the coiled spring 9, actingy upon the said parts, will force the same apart, thus throwing back the swinging yoke 14 from the position indicated in Fig. 5 to the position indicated in Fig. 2, and thereupon the clamping parts 6, 7 will act as dogs to lock the rod in position and hold the transom sash in the position to which it has been raised.

It will be observed that the cord 16 is made fast at 17 to the lower end of the rod 4. rIhe cord is threaded over the wheel or sheave 13 which is in a fixed position, and from thence down over the pulley or sheave 15 of the hinged yoke. When the cord is pulled from below, the yoke immediately will assume the position indicated in Fig. 5, and the plates 6, 7 being forced towardeach other, release their frictional engagement with the rod, whereupon the rod may be raised or lowered as may be required, by

vmeans of the single cord preferably manipulated directly from below.

Iam aware that skylight lifters operated by a single cord from below have been here tofore devised and patented. I believe, howvever, that it is broadly new with me to pivot pulling the cord. This swinging yoke is of suiicient weight so that its momentum will carry it clear away from the clamping parts. When brought back by the cord its weight and consequent momentum is suflicient to make certain the unlocking of the clamp. I would remark that a clamp consisting of a frame provided vwith two pivoted parts spread apart by a coiled spring and adapted to be pressed together by the thumb and forefinger of the user with one hand while he manipulates directly the rod of a transom lifter with the other has been successfully used for a number of years. My invention of the swinging yoke as illustrated and described herein is designed to enable the user to operate the clamp and the rod, and particularly as applied to skylights.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following:

1. In a skylight operating device, the combination with a bracket, of opposed clutching jaws pivotally mounted on said bracket, a rod, said jaws having alined perforations adapted to receive said rod, means normally holding said jaws apart in clutching e11- gagement with said. rod, and a yoke pivoted to said frame and arranged to engage the ends of said jaws to move them into parallel relation and thereby to release said rod.

2. In a skylight operating device, the combination with a bracket, of a frame carried thereby, opposed clamping jaws pivoted to said frame, and a loop-shaped yoke pivoted to said frame, said yoke having beveled surfaces arranged to be swung into engagement with the-ends of said clamping jaws to force the same into unlocking position.

3. The combination with an operating rod of a skylight controller, of a pivoted frame carryingfrictional clamps, the spring for causing the clamps to grip the rod, a hinged yoke, or releaser, adapted to be swung horizontally and to act upon the free ends of said clamps to press the same together and thereby release the rod, sheaves, one on the said yoke and one fixed above the same, and a cord attached to the rod and passing over the said sheaves; whereby on pulling the free end of the cord the rod may be unlocked and raised, while on letting go the cord the rod will be automatically clamped in the position to which it has been moved.

In witness whereof, I, hereunto subscribe my name this nineteenth day of March A. D., 1908.

WILLIAM F. OROURKE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE I). BARTON, D. C. TANNER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing` the Commissioner of lPatents, Washington. D. C. 

